Car-coupling



(No Model.)

G. A. SHELTON. GAR GGUPLING.

i f I. y, Y i M l UNITED .STATES PATENT erica.

GUSTON A. SHELTON, OF RUSSELLVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,666, dated October 29, l 895.

Application led May 23, 1 895. Serial No. 550,407. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUs'roN A. SnEL'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Russellville, in the county of Logan and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Car- Coupling, of which the following is a specication. y

The invention relates to improvements in car-couplings.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of car -couplings, and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient one capable of coupling automatically and of being readily uncoupled from the top or sides of a car, and adapted to he connected with the ordinary construction of draw-head of the pin-and-link form.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car-coupling constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a car. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of two draw-heads coupled. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the link lifting and guiding frame.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a draw-head mounted on a car 2 in the usual manner, and provided at its top with a pair of recesses or pockets 3 and 4, extending longitudinally of the draw-head and open at the front thereof. The recess or pocket 3 has pivoted in it by a transverse pin 5 an arrow-headed link 6, which is supported normally in a horizontal position by the bottom of the recess or pocket 8, and the other recess or pocket/4 has a daring mouth and a contracted neck, and is provided in rear of the same with an enlargement.

The head 7 of the link is arrowshaped'and is rounded and beveled at its lower face and is adapted to slide up the flared portion of the pocket or recess d and to drop into the enlargement thereof. The shank or bar of the link ts snugly between the sides or walls of the recess or pocket 4, and the shoulders formed by the head of the link engage those from the same being cramped when a train is passing around a curve.

The head of the link is retained in the enlargement of the recess or pocket t against any accidental displacement resulting from the jars and sudden jerks incident to the passage of a train by a hinged Weighted cover 9, located at the top of the enlargement of the recess or pocket, and provided at its back or inner end with a ange 10 to limit its upward swinging to prevent it from being thrown rearward too far, and to cause it to drop automatically in position after being lifted by a link.

The link is guided into the recess or pocket of a draw-head, should one draw-head be at a greater elevation than the other, by a linklifting frame 11, which operates principally to disengage the links to eifect the operation of uncoupling. Thelink-lifting frameis constructed of metal, and consists of a substantially-U-shaped front portion 12, embracing the sides of the draw-head and provided at its lower end with an angular bend, and having its front transverse portion resting upon a shoulder 13 of the draw-head, and thereby protected from injury and-prevented from being mashed when two draw-heads come together for coupling.

The link-lifting frame is provided at the top of the sides of the U-shaped portion with upward-extending arms 14 and rearwardlyextending arms l5. The upward-extending arms are connected by a cross-piece 16 and the rearwardly-extending arms are pivoted to the draw-head. The transverse bar or crosspiece 16 is provided with a central loop and is arranged in eyes of the upwardly-extending arms 14, and its central loop is loosely engaged by aloop-shaped arm 18 of a transverse rock-shaft 19. The rock-shaft 19 is journaled in suitable bearings of the car andis provided at its ends with handles located at the sides of the car, and when its forwardly-ezttending arm 18 is swung upward it carries with it the link-lifting frame. The forwardlyextending arm 18 is connected by a chain ICO f itself to such movement.

to maintain the link in anpelevated positiony to prevent the operation of coupling, the arm 18 is maintained in a raised position by being engaged by a ring 22, connected by' a link 23 with the car.

The draw-head is provided below the pair 0f pockets with a link opening or cavity 24, adapted to receive the ordinary construction of link, which is designed to be engaged by a coupling-pin passing through a con pli ng-pin perforation 25, odset from the pocket 3, to enabiea coupling-pinto be placed init without interfering with the arrow-headed link 6.

It will be seen that the car-coupling is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in vconstruction, that it is positive and reliable in operation, and that when two draw-heads come together their links will automatically engage the recesses or pockets and eiect the operation of coupling. y It will also be apparent that the operation of unconpling may be readily performed from the top and sides of a car, tor avoid the necessity of goingbetween cars.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this in- Vention.

What I claim is- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, a link, a pivoted link lifting frame,

comprising a substantially U-shaped portion arranged on the sides of the draw-head and extending across the front of the same beneath the link, the rearwardly extending arms pivoted to the sides of the draw-head, and the upwardly extending arms, a transverse bar connecting the upwardly extending arms, and a rock-shaft, provided with aloop-shaped arm IS receiving the transverse bar, and adapted to raise and lower the link lifting frame, substantially as described.

2.y In a car coupling, the combination of a draw-head provided at its top with a pair of pockets, and having at its front a supporting shoulder, a link pivotallyv mounted in one of the pockets and arranged to swing upward, a link lifting frame, comprising a U-shaped portion extending around the front of the draw-head, and resting uponr the shoulder thereof, and located at opposite sides of the draw-head, rearwardly extending arms pivoted to the draw-head, the upwardly-extending arms and atransverse bar connecting the upwardly extending arms, and op-:-n'ati'ngv GUSTON A. SHELTON.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. BOWDEN, J. CAP MORTON. 

